World War I Photo Essay

Causes

This is a picture taken of Franz Ferdinand and his wife right before they were shot in their convertible. Though this was not the cause of the war, it was the straw that broke the camels back after the tensions building in Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, Britain, and Russia due to militarism, imperialism, the Industrial Revolution, and nationalism. The death of Franz Ferdinand was important because he was the Archduke of Austria-Hungary.

Weapons/ Technology

This is an example of technology during World War I. It is a fake tree that conceals a British soldier who may be on lookout for any enemy. These fake trees were surprisingly successful. They were made to replicate a tree that was once there, but was dead or bombed. During the night, they would take out the real tree and put in the identical fake tree. Camouflage was a common theme in WWI, brought by the French using camouflaged guns. #militarism

http://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/wwitech/

This is a vehicle created by Red Cross to gather wounded soldiers and protect them on the way to get help. The fact that they needed this much protection for the red cross workers and soldiers on the way off the battle field shows how brutal the war was. Unfortunately, this invention was not practical because it could not maneuver on the battle field. #militarism

http://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/wwitech/

Soldier Life

This photo shows French soldiers after the taking of Courcelles. It accurately depicts the gruesome and depressing conditions for a soldier from any nation. Many of the dead were piled up and left due to lack of time, which also made it smell.

http://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/wwisoldiers/

This is a picture of an Italian soldier who was sick from Tuberculosis. Soldiers were prone to many different infections due to harsh conditions on the battlefield, foreign germs, fatigue, and a variety of other factors. One third of the 10 million military deaths were caused by malnutrition and diseases such as Tuberculosis, Trench foot, and Influenza.

http://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/wwisoldiers/

Civilian Life

This shows women working 3 kilometers away from the trenches in France as telephone operators, or "hello girls". Hello Girls were sworn into the military and had to speak both English and French. They would most likely be connecting the allied command with officers at the front who had important information to relay. The fact that they were so close to the trenches shows how dangerous this job was, as seen by the gas masks and helmets on the back of their chairs. #totalwar#militarism

http://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/wwisoldiers/

This shows German Prisoners of War walking down a main street in the French town of Solesmes with people watching them from the sides. A prisoner of war is a person who has been captured and imprisoned by the enemy in a war. There were more than 1.3 million prisoners of war all around Europe during the war. This was a common sight that shows how the war was everywhere; on and off the battle field, and affecting everyone. #totalwar

http://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/wwisoldiers/

Lasting Impact

This picture, taken in 2014, shows two of the many unexploded grenades that farmers find all the time. They were found outside Courcelette, where the battle was fought in the Somme. The grenades were removed by a bomb-disposal expert. The fact that that job even exists shows that war is still, and will always be on people's mind.